Pad for strengthening muscle of sole of foot, and insole including same

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a pad for strengthening the muscle of the sole of the foot, and an insole including same. The subject matter of the present invention is a pad for strengthening the muscle of the sole of the foot, and an insole including same, the pad comprising: an arch support part for supporting the arch portion; a forefoot support part formed at the front of the arch support part to support the forefoot portion; and a connecting passage part for connecting the arch support part and the forefoot support part, wherein weight moves to the forefoot portion through the outer side of the sole of the foot after a load is applied to the rearfoot portion during walking, and the metatarsal bones come into contact with the forefoot support part and are stimulated so that driving power is generated in the direction between the big toe and the second toe, and thus walking is corrected.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a pad for strengthening a muscle of a sole of a foot and an insole including the same.

BACKGROUND ART

Generally, foot stability can affect human upright posture and postural stability. When a foot is unstable, musculoskeletal disorders including plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendinitis, ankle sprain, restriction of functional movement of a big toe, anterior cruciate ligament injury, and a backache may be caused so that plantar muscle strengthening exercises may be required to prevent these musculoskeletal disorders.

Human feet and legs have functional connections. That is, musculoskeletal complex including pelvis, knee, ankle, and foot are connected to each other so that foot stability can be transmitted to the pelvis.

Therefore, when suddenly walking or exercising after sitting for a long period of time, calf muscles or plantar muscles having lost their elasticity may become inflamed and painful due to an excessive load. When sitting for a long period of time, especially big muscles of the lower extremities, such as the buttocks and hamstrings, become weak.

When walking or exercising in this state, small calf muscles or plantar muscles are used, and thus the muscles becomes stiff and are excessively contracted so that pain may be caused.

Meanwhile, a foot intrinsic muscle is an important part that provides basic stabilization function for various factors of the foot and ankle joint and is responsible for a local stabilization function inside the foot and a dynamic support and control function, that is, a function of stably grounding the foot by optimizing a change in structure of the foot pressed against the ground while responding to various grounds and environments and a function of controlling an amount and a timing of muscle activation in the movement of the foot to properly respond to a situation and an environment.

In order to strengthen only the intrinsic muscles of the foot while toes are stabilized, Patent Document (entitled “An exercise apparatus for strengthening of a sole muscle” (patent registration number: 10-1951007)) has disclosed an exercise apparatus for strengthening a sole muscle which includes an anterior support, a rear support, a moving part, and a support part, thereby preventing musculoskeletal diseases. However, since the an exercise apparatus for strengthening of a sole muscle is formed in a sandal-type structure capable of being worn on the foot, it cannot be inserted into the insole which absorbs and buffers an impact from the sole of a shoe during walking, and reduces fatigue on a wearer's foot, and improves a feeling of wearing so that there are difficulties in practical commercialization.

Therefore, new technology development research, which can help to treat flat feet, plantar fasciitis, and hallux valgus by strengthening the intrinsic muscle movement of the foot through the insole and can perform correct walking, is urgently required.

RELATED ART DOCUMENT Patent Document

-   Korean Registered Patent No. 10-1951007 (registered on Feb. 15,     2019)

DISCLOSURE Technical Problem

The present invention is directed to providing a pad for strengthening a muscle of a sole of a foot, which can help to treat flat feet, plantar fasciitis, and hallux valgus by strengthening the intrinsic muscle movement of the foot and can perform walking correction, and an insole including the same.

Technical Solution

One aspect of the present invention provides a pad for strengthening a muscle of a sole of a foot, which includes an arch support part configured to support an arch portion, a forefoot support part formed in front of the arch support part and configured to support the forefoot portion, and a connecting passage part configured to connect between the arch support part and the forefoot support part, and wherein a load is applied to a rearfoot during walking, a weight moves to a forefoot portion through an outer side of the sole, and then metatarsal bones contact the forefoot support part and are stimulated to generate a driving force in a direction between a big toe and an index toe, thereby correcting walking.

In the present invention, a cushion material may be inserted into the pad.

In the present invention, an inside of the pad may be filled with a fluid to maintain a pressure.

In the present invention, an elastic force between the arch support part and the forefoot support part may be transmitted to each other through the connecting passage part.

Another aspect of the present invention provides an insole including a bottom member, a cover member, and a pad for strengthening a muscle of a sole of a foot inserted and installed between the bottom member and the cover member, wherein the pad includes an arch support part configured to support an arch portion, a forefoot support part formed in front of the arch support part and configured to support the forefoot portion, and a connecting passage part configured to connect between the arch support part and the forefoot support part, and wherein a load is applied to a rearfoot during walking, a weight moves to a forefoot portion through an outer side of the sole, and then metatarsal bones contact the forefoot support part and are stimulated to generate a driving force in a direction between a big toe and an index toe, thereby correcting walking.

In the present invention, the arch support part may be formed to protrude upward to be rounded in an inside of the insole, thereby allowing an arch structure to be formed at an arch portion of the sole.

In the present invention, a body center control part may be formed to protrude upward to be rounded on an outer side of the insole, thereby limiting movement of the center of gravity of a body on the sole.

Advantageous Effects

In accordance with a pad for strengthening a muscle of a sole of a foot and an insole including the same according to the present invention, there is an effect capable of minimizing damage to the intrinsic muscle by allowing a point where a forefoot portion and first metatarsal bones are connected, that is, a head portion of lumbar spine of a toe to come into contact with a ground well based on a big toe.

In addition, since active movement of the intrinsic muscle of the foot is strengthened, the big toe is moved up, and thus an inner arch of the foot can be easily formed, thereby improving stability of the internal structure of the foot, there is an effect capable of correcting deformed feet due to hallux valgus and the like in a desirable shape.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a weight movement direction of a sole of a foot during walking.

FIG. 2 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a disease that may occur when an intrinsic muscle of a toe is not activated.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a pad for strengthening a muscle of a sole of a foot according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating an insole in which the pad for strengthening a muscle of a sole of a foot is inserted and installed according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the insole of FIG. 4 .

FIG. 6 is a bottom view illustrating a bottom surface of FIG. 4 .

FIG. 7 is a side view illustrating a side surface of FIG. 4 .

MODES OF THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail.

Prior to describing the present invention, as indicated by an arrow direction of A→B→C shown in an exemplary diagram of FIG. 1 illustrating a weight movement direction of a sole during walking, it is ideal that a weight should be distributed toward the big toe through an outer side of the sole of the foot and a forefoot from the heel.

However, when it becomes a state in which stability pressed against the sole from the outer side to an inner side of the foot is not controlled, the foot becomes unstable to cause misalignment of the pelvis and abnormal structural deformation so that lack of the stability of the foot causes pain and damage to the entire leg.

Diseases due to the lack of the stability include plantar fasciitis, functional hallux limitus-rididus, Achilles tendinitis, chronic ankle instability-ankle sprain, an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury, and low back pain.

In addition, referring to the exemplary diagram of FIG. 2 illustrating a disease that may occur when the intrinsic muscle of the toe is not activated, when active movement of the intrinsic muscle of the toe is not performed properly, Achilles tendinitis, posterior tibial tendinitis, plantar fasciitis, blisters (vesicles), and toe bruises occur.

According to the present invention, in order to prevent the above diseases, by ideally inducing a weight movement path while strengthening movement of the intrinsic muscle of the foot during walking, a pad 100 for strengthening a muscle of a sole, which is inserted between a bottom member 11 and a cover member 12 constituting an insole 10 so as to help to treat flat feet, plantar fasciitis, and hallux valgus and to perform desirable correct walking, is proposed.

In this regard, FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating the pad 100 for strengthening a muscle of a sole of a foot according to the present invention, FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating the insole 10 in which the pad 100 for strengthening a muscle of a sole of a foot is inserted and installed according to the present invention, FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the insole 10 of FIG. 4 , FIG. 6 is a bottom view illustrating a bottom surface of FIG. 4 , and FIG. 7 is a side view illustrating a side surface of FIG. 4 .

Referring to FIGS. 3 to 7 , The pad 100 for strengthening a muscle of a sole of a foot of the present invention includes an arch support part 110, a forefoot support part 120, and a connecting passage part 130 and is characterized in that a load is applied to a rearfoot during walking, a weight moves to a forefoot portion through an outer side of the sole, and then metatarsal bones contact the forefoot support part 120 and are stimulated, and thus a vector is changed in a direction between a big toe and an index toe to generate a driving force, thereby correcting walking.

In this case, a soft cushion material 100 b may be inserted into a protective member 100 a constituting an exterior of the pad 100 for strengthening a muscle of a sole of a foot, and an example of the cushion material 100 b includes polyurethane foam. When being grounded to the ground during walking due to the cushion material 100 b inserted into the protective member 100 a, buffering and a cushioning feeling may be provided to the insole 10. In some cases, an inside of the protective member 100 a of the pad 100 for strengthening a muscle of a sole of a foot may be filled with a fluid instead of the polyurethane foam to maintain a pressure. That is, the fluid including one or more of a gas (e.g., O₂ or N₂) and a liquid may form a pneumatic pressure or a hydraulic pressure.

In the present invention, the arch support part 110 is a component for supporting an arch portion. The arch support part 110 is disposed inside the insole 10 to be placed at a position corresponding to an arch portion of a wearer and is formed to be rounded outward to a front side from a first arch line 111 and an end thereof extending along an inner line of the sole to activate the intrinsic muscles of the foot during walking, thereby helping a formation of the arch portion.

In the present invention, the forefoot support part 120 is a component formed in front of the arch support part 110 and configured to support a forefoot portion. The forefoot support part 120 may be formed to be connected to the arch support part 110 through the connecting passage part 130. The forefoot support part 120 may include a first forefoot support line 121 formed to extend from a first connection line 131 of the connecting passage part 130, a second forefoot support line 122 formed to be bent at an end portion of the first forefoot support line 121, a third forefoot support line 123 formed to be bent again at an end portion of the second forefoot support line 122, and a fourth forefoot support line 124 formed to be bent inward at an end portion of the third forefoot support line 123 and connected to a second connection line 132 of the connecting passage part 130.

In the present invention, the connecting passage part 130 is a component for connecting between the arch support part 110 and the forefoot support part 120. Specifically, the arch support part 110 is formed at one end of the connecting passage part 130, and the forefoot support part 120 is formed at the other end of the connecting passage part 130. More specifically, the connecting passage part 130 includes the first connection line 131 formed to extend from the first arch line 111 of the arch support part 110, and the second connection line 132 formed to extend from the second arch line 112 of the arch support part 110, thereby allowing a transfer of an elastic force between the arch support part 110 and the forefoot support part 120.

Here, referring to FIG. 3 , during walking, when a weight is moved on the sole to reach a boundary point P corresponding to an edge portion between the third forefoot support line 123 and the fourth forefoot support line 124, as a vector is changed in a direction of the big toe or in a direction between the big toe and the index toe, the big toe is lifted to obtain a propulsive force.

When the vector in which a weight transfer turns in the direction of the big toe through the outer side of the foot from the heel is not changed during walking, and when the ankle is severely twisted or sprained, ankle sprains or falling may occur due to damage to the ligaments supporting the ankle joint.

Accordingly, since exercise or force control to move a muscle is more important than strengthening the intrinsic muscle of the foot among the intrinsic foot exercise, the pad 100 for strengthening a muscle of a sole of a foot according to the present invention may serve as a point marker as a stimulation point.

In particular, referring to FIGS. 5 to 7 , an upwardly rounded arch support part 13 may be formed to protrude from a position corresponding to the arch portion of the wearer in the bottom member 11 constituting the insole 10.

That is, the arch support part 13 having cushioning relative to a bottom surface of the bottom member 11 through air or the like is formed at the position corresponding to the arch portion inside the bottom member 11 so that it is possible to support the inner side of the foot, help to form an arch inside the foot, and prevent deformation to a flat foot.

In addition, the major cause of ankle sprains is sprains due to internal bleeding. In the outer side of the bottom member 11 constituting the insole 10, through a body center control part 14 due to an ergonomic design allowing a portion opposite to the arch support part 13 to be formed to be high upward, after an impact is absorbed from the heel during walking and before the core of weight is moved to the outer side, sprains may be prevented and, simultaneously, the core of weight may be moved in directions of the big toe and the index finger.

In this way, only the structure of the insole 10 is able to stably support the sole of the foot so that a synergistic effect with the role of the pad 100 for strengthening a muscle of a sole of a foot can be achieved.

Referring to FIG. 7 , it can be seen that a height of the body center control part 14 is relatively lower than a height of the arch support part 13 based on an upper surface of the bottom member 11. When the height of the body center control part 14 is formed to be relatively higher than the height of the arch support part 13, it is not preferable because a weight movement of the sole of the foot may be biased to the inside during walking.

For reference, since the cover member 12 coupled to the bottom member 11 may be made of a flexible fabric material, the cover member 12 can be suitably coupled to a curved and rounded shape of the bottom member 11.

As described above, the present invention relates to the pad 100 for strengthening a muscle of a sole of a foot and an insole 10 including the same, and the present invention is characterized in that the pad 100 for strengthening a muscle of a sole of a foot, which includes the arch support part 110 configured to support the arch portion, the forefoot support part 120 formed in front of the arch support part 110 and configured to support the forefoot portion, and the connecting passage part 130 configured to connect between the arch support part 110 and the forefoot support part 120, is inserted and installed in the insole 10.

In this way, since the pad 100 for strengthening a muscle of a sole of a foot is inserted and installed in the insole 10, the big toe is allowed to be moved up outward between the big toe and the index toe during walking. As described above, the pad 100 for strengthening a muscle of a sole of a foot, which is inserted and installed between the bottom member 11 and the cover member 12 of the insole 10, enables active movement of the foot intrinsic muscle to facilitate the formation of the arch which is the inner arch of the foot so that there is an advantage of capable of performing correction just by walking of a foot which has been deformed due to hallux valgus.

In addition, since the pelvis, knee, ankle, and foot are functionally connected and thus the stability of the foot transmits the influence to the pelvis, the pad 100 for strengthening a muscle of a sole of a foot according to the present invention promotes activation of the intrinsic muscle of the foot in various ground conditions, such as gravel fields and rope riding, and changes the structure of the foot to form an arch appropriately and adhere the sole to the ground maximally and stably so that it has a great meaning in that dynamic stability can be achieved.

Although the embodiments have been described with reference to illustrative embodiments of the technical spirit of the present invention, it should be understood that numerous other modifications and embodiments can be devised by those skilled in the art that will fall within the spirit and scope of the present invention. The embodiments disclosed herein, therefore, are not to be taken in a sense for limiting the technical concept of the present disclosure but for explanation thereof, and the range of the technical concept of the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. The scope of the present invention should be construed by the appended claims, along with the full range of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

-   -   10: insole     -   11: bottom member     -   12: cover member     -   13: arch support part     -   14: body center control part     -   100: pad for strengthening a muscle of a sole of a foot     -   100 a: protective member     -   100 b: cushion material     -   110: arch support part     -   111: first arch line     -   112: second arch line     -   120: forefoot support part     -   121: first forefoot support line     -   122: second forefoot support line     -   123: third forefoot support line     -   124: fourth forefoot support line     -   130: connecting passage part     -   131: first connection line     -   132: second connection line     -   P: boundary point 

1. A pad for strengthening a muscle of a sole of a foot, the pad comprising: an arch support part configured to support an arch portion; a forefoot support part formed in front of the arch support part and configured to support the forefoot portion; and a connecting passage part configured to connect between the arch support part and the forefoot support part, wherein a load is applied to a rearfoot during walking, a weight moves to a forefoot portion through an outer side of the sole, and then metatarsal bones contact the forefoot support part and are stimulated to generate a driving force in a direction between a big toe and an index toe, thereby correcting walking.
 2. The pad of claim 1, wherein a cushion material is inserted into the pad.
 3. The pad of claim 1, wherein an inside of the pad is filled with a fluid to maintain a pressure.
 4. The pad of claim 1, wherein an elastic force between the arch support part and the forefoot support part is transmitted to each other through the connecting passage part.
 5. An insole comprising: a bottom member; a cover member; and a pad for strengthening a muscle of a sole of a foot inserted and installed between the bottom member and the cover member, wherein the pad includes: an arch support part configured to support an arch portion; a forefoot support part formed in front of the arch support part and configured to support the forefoot portion; and a connecting passage part configured to connect between the arch support part and the forefoot support part, and wherein a load is applied to a rearfoot during walking, a weight moves to a forefoot portion through an outer side of the sole, and then metatarsal bones contact the forefoot support part and are stimulated to generate a driving force in a direction between a big toe and an index toe, thereby correcting walking.
 6. The insole of claim 5, wherein the arch support part is formed to protrude upward to be rounded in an inside of the insole, thereby allowing an arch structure to be formed at an arch portion of the sole.
 7. The insole of claim 5, wherein a body center control part is formed to protrude upward to be rounded on an outer side of the insole, thereby limiting movement of the center of gravity of a body on the sole. 